US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says her country and China have "significant disagreements," but her meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing "served as a step forward" in bilateral relations.

During her visit to China that started Thursday, Yellen met with officials including Premier Li Qiang and Vice Premier He Lifeng, who in charge of the economy and trade with the United States.

She held a news conference in the Chinese capital on Sunday before heading home to the US.

Yellen said that she pressed Beijing on Washington's "serious concerns about China's unfair economic practices," including barriers to market access for foreign firms.

She also said her meetings that totaled about 10 hours over two days "served as a step forward in our effort to put the US-China relationship on surer footing."

The US government has been limiting exports to China of semiconductors and other products that could be used for military applications.

China recently announced that it would impose export controls on two rare metals used for manufacturing chips.

The two sides confirmed in the series of talks that they will continue to engage in dialogue. But it remains to be seen whether there will be any concrete progress in negotiations over contentious issues such as semiconductors and tariffs.